North Light Studios

Have you ever taken the time to observe people around you? Normally, I'm pretty oblivious. But sometimes, I like to sit in my camp chair at the park and do some people watching. If you're an artist, being observant is essential. Mike is an extremely observant person. He can see details in humans; the differences in their expressions, the way they hold themselves, the tone of their voices. I have another question. Have you ever been outside the circle? The inflections of this statement are many. This could mean feeling left out of a group. It could mean watching a group who is excluding someone as someone on the outside looking in. Who is outside the circle? You as the viewer? Or the girl who is being used as a pedestal for the other girls?  Outside the Circle, by Michael Aaron Hall Mike's response to the inspiration and reasoning of the statue is this:  I created Outside the Circle because I wanted to examine the topic of exclusion. At some point in our live...

The National Sculpture Society has an excellent events coordinator. And about fifty other people that work with them to put on a great conference. The Sculpture Celebration Conference of 2017 was no different. If you've been following, you've already heard about the first half of the conference. New York, a town bursting with energy, life, taxis, and pollution, set the stage for a great weekend at the Park Central Hotel. Awards Ceremony, NSS Sculpture Conference After we ate dinner, we all patiently anticipated the awards ceremony. Kind of weird, since we knew who the recipients were. But I was twisting my hair the whole time. The list of award winners included expert artists with impressive work, and Mike was the recipient of the Alex J. Ettl Award, for his notable body of work. Awards Presentation, NSS Sculpture Conference; Alex J Ettl Grant The award was presented by the President and Vice-President of the NSS, Michel Langlais and Amy Kann. Both of them were lo...

When I first heard the term "jet lag" years ago, I had never been on a plane and I had also recently finished watching "West Side Story," so in my head, I'm picturing dance-fighting gangsters with leg problems. The flight to New York wasn't bad; only four hours. But I was so exhausted every night of the National Sculpture Society Celebration conference that I would crash on my soft bed with giant pillows and dream until morning. Mike would wake up energized and ready to go each morning, and I would drag myself out of that comfy bed and pray that breakfast would make me feel just as energized. Carnegie Hall, kiddie-corner from Park Central Hotel. Yay breakfast! Friday morning we found a cute coffee shop that served giant muffins, creamy oatmeal, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. The best part? It was right next to the hotel (which is also kiddie-corner from Carnegie Hall. Awesome!). After scarfing down this deliciousness I did feel better, and I follo...